The Department of Health said on Thursday that South Africa had recorded 20 cases of mpox since May, with three deaths. Out of the 20 people, however, 15 have been tested and later cleared to have recovered from the sickness.
The WHO is despatching mpox medication to South Africa after an outbreak of the disease in the country.
Dr Joseph Wamala, the head of the WHO team, came out to state that the country has a stock of mpox medication known as Tecovirimat that can only cater for fifteen people with a two-week dose.
The Department of Health stated on Thursday that out of 20 reported mpox cases in South Africa since May, three patients died. Of those 20, 15 had since recovered from the virus, while the remaining 5 were still admitted in hospital due to serious health issues that had been precipitated by this particular virus in people with existing illnesses like HIV.
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The department stated that mpox could be treated if it was detected early enough.
“People are urged to seek healthcare once they experience mpox-like symptoms or come into direct contact with someone who tested positive. The department, working with various stakeholders, continues with efforts to curb the spread/transmission of mpox in the country,” the department said.
In the last week, the country recorded four more laboratory-confirmed mpox cases in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal: This included a 17-year-old boy from Hillbrow in Johannesburg, a 37-year-old man from Pretoria East, a 29-year-old man from West Rand and a 19-year-old boy from Durban.
Overall, 10 cases have been reported in Gauteng province, 9 in KwaZulu Natal and 1 in Western Cape. The contingent response teams have been deployed for the newly infected cases.
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